Music Notes

John Bailey
6 days ago
2 min read

When Peace like a river…

You may recognize the title of this article as the opening words of the hymn “It Is Well with My Soul.” We sang this as the Offertory Hymn on July 20th. As with all aspects of our worship, knowing about the origin of customs and even the background of our hymns serves to deepen our understanding and appreciation of our faith tradition. The text of this much-beloved hymn was written by Horatio Spafford(1828-1888) and is sung to a tune written by Philip P. Bliss(1838-1876). The name given to the tune is Ville du Havre: more about that later. Philip Bliss was an itinerate musician and evangelist who wrote many hymn texts and tunes himself. *The year 1873 was a year filled with tragedy for Horatio Spafford and his family. He and his wife were still grieving the death of their son when the Great Chicago Fire struck, causing financial ruin. Realizing that his family needed to get away, he decided to take his wife and four daughters to England. His wife and daughters went ahead on the SS Ville du Havre, and he planned to follow in a few days. The ship was named after Le Havre, a major port city in the Normandy region of northern France. However, the ship carrying Mrs. Spafford and their daughters was struck by another ship and sank within twelve minutes. More than two hundred lives were lost, including the Spaffords’ four daughters. When the survivors were brought to shore at Cardiff, Wales, Mrs. Spafford cabled her husband with the words, “Saved alone.”

It was while Mr. Spafford was crossing the Atlantic to meet his grieving wife that he wrote the words of this hymn. It was amid his own terrible, painful grief that the Holy Spirit gave him the faith to say and believe that “It Is Well with My Soul.” Below is the complete text of the hymn. I hope knowing its origins will deepen our appreciation for hymn writers and encourage us all in our faith journey.

Peace,

John

It Is Well with My Soul

When peace like a river attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea-billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

“It is well, it is well with my soul.”

Though Satan should buffet, tho’ trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed his own blood for my soul.

My sin--O, the bliss of this glorious thought,